Skokie Chess Prodigy Crowned Champion

Eric Rosen's battlefield is medieval.

The 17-year-old junior is usually several steps ahead of his opponent, commanding an army of knights, pawns, rooks and even a queen. His primary objective: Eliminate the king and utter the two-syllable word known as checkmate.

Last Thursday, Rosen competed with more than a 1,000 players at the United States Chess Federation National Tournament in Nashville, TN. In the end, he came out on top, earning the title of National K12 Champion.

"It feels pretty good [to be champion] actually," Rosen said. "It hasn't sunk in yet. I'm pretty happy but pretty exhausted.

"I don't try and stare down my opponent, but instead stay focused on the board," he said about his winning strategy.

The tournament had players compete over a three-day period with some of Rosen's sessions lasting as long as four hours. He ultimately went undefeated, beating all seven of his opponents.

While Rosen was the tournament's only undefeated player, the road to the championship match wasn't easy. It included having to beat an international chess master on stage in front of hundreds of people in order to be named champion.

“After I won my sixth-round game, my nervousness went away, and I felt I had nothing to lose," he said. "I was seated on a stage for the last round, but after five minutes, I forgot about everyone watching me.”

Humble beginnings

Niles North High School chess coach Harry Kyriazes said Rosen was more than a great chess player, but a well-rounded person.

"Eric's skill is a combination of being brilliant and a really hard worker," Kyriazes said. "When he was coming up as a fifth grader, [Rosen] was playing at the high school level. He has a lot of natural talent.

"You can't be that good without being a really hard worker," Kyriazes added. "Eric also has the ability to explain very complex ideas easily."

Rosen said his favorite movie is Searching for Bobby Fischer, adding he sometimes watches it before a tournament on his iPod. Based on a true story, the 1993 movie is about a young chess prodigy who is on a quest to reach Fischer's status as the greatest chess player ever.

Like Fischer, Rosen also plays tennis, and is considered to be the second best tennis player at Niles North High School.

"When I'm playing a must-win match in tennis, there's usually cheering for each point," Rosen said. "But I was on stage playing during the championship, there was no cheering, just silence."

Rosen began playing chess at the age of 7 and currently trains with renowned chess grandmaster Dmitry Gurevich. The teen is also part of the Chicago Blaze team of the United States Chess League and is ranked as the 11th best chess player in the country for 17-year-olds.

In 2010, Rosen earned the title of Life master after receiving a rating of 2,200.

What's in his future, more chess? Rosen said he plans to study either engineering or digital arts at the University of Illinois or Washington University in St. Louis.